The Republican file | John SuchockiFormer state Senator Andrea Nuciforo Jr., of Pittsfield, is seen during a campaign stop in February at Square One in Holyoke. Nuciforo is seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives newly formed 1st Congressional District.

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In 2006, Republican Governor Mitt Romney, with support from Democratic legislators, proposed a sweeping reform of the Massachusetts auto insurance industry, which would have introduced more competitive pricing, giving insurers more flexibility to adjust rates.

State Sen. Andrea Nuciforo, chairman of the Joint Committee on Financial Services, called the proposal anti-consumer. He said, according to the Boston Herald, "If it does not die the death it deserves in the House, it will be dead on arrival in the Senate."

And it was. “I did everything I could to kill that,” Nuciforo said in an interview with MassLive.com. “You may find inflammatory language I used…I stand by that language 100 percent. For as long as I was chair of the committee, I didn’t let that bill advance.”

Nuciforo, who is running against U.S. Rep. Richard Neal and writer Bill Shein in the Democratic primary for the redrawn 1st Congressional District, faces an uphill climb challenging a 12-term incumbent Congressman, but he is not unknown among local voters. Nuciforo served in the state Senate from 1997 to 2006 and held significant sway over regulatory issues as chairman of the Joint Committee on Banks and Banking, which became the Joint Committee on Financial Services. Among the most significant bills Nuciforo was involved with were a bill curbing predatory lending practices and attempts to scuttle auto insurance reform. By some, Nuciforo was seen as a consumer advocate. But he also accepted large amounts of money from industry and insurance companies, leading others – including Neal in a recent debate – to question his motivations for opposing insurance reform.

Before the insurance debate, one of Nuciforo’s defining achievements was a predatory lending bill he sponsored, which became law in 2004. State House News Service wrote in 2004 that there had been a decade-long stalemate over how to regulate predatory lending. Nuciforo said he became interested in the issue after hearing testimony from the public and consumer advocates about the rise of subprime mortgages and high-cost loans that were being made in low and middle income communities, where borrowers were often unable to repay them.

“I pushed (the predatory lending bill) very aggressively,” Nuciforo said. “It became a top priority for me in light of what was happening to borrowers across the commonwealth.” Legislative leaders coalesced around the proposal, which was ultimately endorsed by the consumer group Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now and accepted by the mortgage lenders industry.

The law placed new restrictions on mortgage lenders making high-cost loans. State House News Service reported that, among other provisions, the law required borrowers receiving a high cost loan to receive credit counseling, and required lenders to have a reasonable belief that the borrower could repay the loan. It capped the points and fees that could be charged for a home mortgage loan, and placed heavy penalties on lenders that violated the law.

Former Rep. John Quinn, the House chairman of the Banks and Banking Committee who co-sponsored the bill, said it was the most significant piece of legislation considered by the committee from 2001 to 2004. “We were trying to get a balanced approach to a bill that allowed business to continue to be conducted, but would get rid of bad actors in the business,” Quinn said. “We were trying to be fair to everyone in that complex world of financial regulations and mortgages.”

Kevin Cuff, executive director of Community Mortgage Lenders of America, was then executive director of the Massachusetts Mortgage Bankers Association. Cuff said he believes most legislators naturally look out for consumers, and Nuciforo was no different. Cuff said Nuciforo was professional and had an open door. “Andy was very good at getting the gist of ‘OK, we’ve got ourselves a big animal here, give me the parts that are acceptable to industry … and that are unacceptable to industry.’ He’d make his arguments why those were necessary; I’d make my arguments why they were not.”

Cuff said one big issue was making laws governing mortgage lenders similar to laws governing bank loans. For example, banks were not allowed to offer different loan services in Lenox and Springfield because Springfield was a higher risk market. Nuciforo worked to apply similar restrictions to mortgage lenders.

Another area where Nuciforo played a major role was auto insurance reform. Massachusetts had an unusual system in which state regulators set insurance rates based on a few factors, such as driving record. A bill was put forward by Democratic Rep. Ronald Mariano, who could not be reached for this story, building on Romney’s proposal. Among other changes, the bill would have given insurers more leeway to set rates based on factors including age, education, credit score and others.

Nuciforo echoed comments he made in 2006 when he told The Republican, “That was one of the most anti-consumer provisions I’ve ever seen produced in the legislature.” Massachusetts requires consumers to have auto insurance, and Nuciforo said he worried insurance companies would make policies unaffordable for young, urban drivers, seniors and others who could least afford it.

Deirdre Cummings, legislative director for the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group, commonly referred to as MassPIRG, said Nuciforo was “a clear, outspoken and tireless advocate” for consumers. “There were numerous proposals to deregulate the auto market, and he was very vocal in ensuring that the deregulated system was not allowed to move forward, and making sure that drivers got a fair shake out of the whole deal,” Cummings said. “He was very careful making sure we wouldn’t undermine or repeal some of the important consumer protections that had been adopted over time.”

Insurance companies were split on the measure. The Boston Globe reported that Commerce Insurance and Arbella Mutual Insurance did well under the state-regulated system and opposed the bill.

The Berkshire Eagle reported that 18 executives at Commerce Insurance donated a total of $9,000 to Nuciforo’s campaign in 2005, the most money donated by employees of any one company. Other top donors included employees of Liberty Mutual ($6,800) and Arbella insurance Group ($2,400), according to the Berkshire Eagle. Liberty Mutual supported the reform.

The conservative Boston Herald editorial board noted Nuciforo’s opposition to the bill and commented, “Surely, the fact that Nuciforo is a beneficiary of the largesse of an insurance company with a stranglehold on Massachusetts consumers has nothing to do with such bombast.”

Neal made a similar point in an Aug. 20 debate, commenting, “You couldn't have taken any more money from Commerce Insurance.”

Asked about the insurance industry contributions, Nuciforo said, “I did absolutely the right thing on that bill. I took the pro-consumer position.”

Brian Lees, a former Republican Senate Minority leader with no involvement in the Democratic primary, said Nuciforo did look out for the public. “He was known in the Legislature as someone who was a watchdog for consumers,” Lees said. “He was very moderate to liberal on issues, but that’s what his constituency was.”

Coming from Pittsfield, Nuciforo was concerned with Western Massachusetts. “We had similar passions for representing Western Massachusetts interests,” said Sen. Stephen Brewer, a Barre Democrat supporting Neal. “Regional school issues and rural issues, small town issues.”

Nuciforo obtained $11 million in state money for improvements at Pittsfield Municipal Airport, $2.5 million toward road improvements on Route 7 in Pittsfield, and $6 million toward a $23 million restoration of Pittsfield’s historic Colonial Theater (after he left the state Senate, Nuciforo became a trustee at the Colonial Theater).

But former North Adams Mayor John Barrett, a Democrat supporting Neal, said Nuciforo had little interest in steering money to smaller towns. “He seemed to pay attention to cities with a larger population base than mine,” Barrett said. “I think his priorities were reflected in serving a larger constituent base than those of smaller communities. … We had various projects going on and he put all his eggs in the basket of securing those for city of Pittsfield.”

Nuciforo pointed to his work helping the town of Monterey renovate its town hall and responded, “Small towns had no stronger advocate than me.”